After mayor Dave Bing nixed the idea of a Robocop statue in Detroit, interest in the potential project grew immediately. A website was launched. A Facebook group sprang up, and a Kickstarter project welcomed donations. The Imagination Station in Detroit offered a place on its property at Roosevelt Park to put the statue. And now, the project has exceeded its goal of $50,000!

Bing's office is still not convinced, but a spokeswoman said the city is studying how it could accept and display a gift RoboCop statue.

"We know there are a lot of people that care deeply about the issue, and we respect that," said Karen Dumas of Bing's office. "But I'm still not sure that RoboCop is the best message for the city of Detroit."

Paffendorf said the RoboCop statue could go somewhere downtown if the city approves, perhaps near the landmark fist statue honoring legendary boxer Joe Louis.

I'll be honest, whenever I hear about Detroit, I always end up thinking about Robocop. I don't know how that movie integrated so well with Detroit but it did. I wonder how many people would know if you asked random strangers on the street?